One of last year’s pleasant surprises was my introduction to Brendan Perkins via Stories From The Old Church Lane. The album was like a warm embrace from a friend you hadn’t seen in far too long. Happy to say, Perkins’ latest, Trading River Songs, is another square in the quilt of lush, splendid albums that soothe the soul and calm the mind.
Perkins composes each tune, plays every instrument and sings all the vocals (with the exception of Helen Flunder’s backing vocals on Binbrook Skyline). As a result, there is a palpable sense of continuity from one song to the next. Most of the tunes are midtempo, symphonic, pastoral progressive rock that feel as comfortable and inviting as an overstuffed sofa. With more than four decades of recording and sound engineering experience beneath his belt, the quality of the sound mirrors the tones of the music, warm and well-defined. Perkins continues his bass-forward approach to song construction, but this time around his percussion skills also step out front to weave taut layers for the synth strings and harmonized guitars to bounce off of.
Rest At The Shoreline opens the album with a cornucopia of percussive sounds as colourful guitars and keyboards fill in the spaces, and the bass pulls it all together. Even so, it is the melodious vocal lines that command attention. The lyrics conjure childhood memories tainted by the harsh realities of life, a river that flows inexorably into the sea. The guitar solo towards the end of the song is as fluid and sparkling as that river, the piano denouement like that accepting ocean. On the folksier end of the spectrum thanks to the strummed acoustic guitar is Banks Of The Fleet. The song is about London’s river Fleet before being channeled beneath the city’s streets. Even without ever seeing the Fleet, you can feel Perkins’ nostalgia for a time long gone as he sings:
Cakes with cream and wine, and company so fine
Sunshine hazy waves, a distant tower chime
His ability to conjure a time, place or thought is skilful, whether through words or music. Prominent bass and harmonized twin guitars nudge the song forward before exploding like the fireworks that light the trees in his reminiscence. Imagine a lost cut from Wind And Wuthering with Justin Hayward playing the guitar and you’re in the ballpark.
Turning to themes of betrayal and redemption, Trading River Songs exudes empathy for the song’s narrator. Piano triplets and understated orchestral keys give the song lift, yet the martial drumbeat is there as a reminder of the underlying hurt. The guitar lends a spiritual grace that saves the song from sounding like self-despair. When the instruments join together for the final break, the feeling is cathartic. The descending chord pattern at song’s end is like drifting back to earth, stronger for the pain. At more than ten minutes, Binbrook Skyline is the album’s longest song and another collection of happy memories, this time centred around Lincolnshire Wolds. The bass and drums are like the low hills of the countryside, the weightless harmonies and airy keyboards the puffy clouds drifting overhead. When Perkins lets loose on the guitar, it is a joyful representation of the skyline’s natural beauty. The song is so captivating and emotional, it feels like it passes by too quickly.
On the other end of the spectrum (lyrically if not musically) lies Angels In A Vacuum. Perkins describes the song as a “rise up against an idiot in power”, and it’s hard not to see this as a reference to Donald Trump. A gorgeous classical guitar introduction belies the poison in the lyrics. The music steadily builds in momentum, a countermovement gathering steam before becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Sink in the quagmire you created
Fall as the angels rise, it’s love that you most despise….
Words of wisdom, not that crud, pull our way back out of the mud
The conviction in the song is unvarnished. However, instead of a hopeful, triumphant end, the song’s abrupt close comes across more like a threat as the singer proclaims, “Let time rejoice, not just one voice, but a promise from us all”. Powerful stuff!
The album ends with Goddess Earth, an ode to the planet and our place in the universe. Piano and acoustic guitar embody tranquillity and the joy of life’s simple things, such as “a party in the park, and the joy of new found friends / The wide eyed feeling never ends”. As with most of the album, the bass and drums lay a solid foundation for the layered vocals and majestic guitar to take the song to heaven.
Brendan Perkins has a wonderful knack for knowing what a song needs, playing little more and never less. While most of the music remains firmly in the pastoral mode, the collection as a whole never finds itself leaning into the humdrum. Perkins gets to both the heart of the song and the listener, which is what makes him an artist worth listening to.
TRACK LISTING
01. Rest At The Shoreline (8:11)
02. Banks Of The Fleet (8:31)
03. Trading River Songs (7:25)
04. Binbrook Skyline (10:17)
05. Angels In A Vacuum (8:05)
06. Goddess Earth (6:37)
Total Time – 49:08
MUSICIANS
Brendan Perkins – Bass, Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Drums, Keyboards, Uke, Mandolin, Percussion, Vocals
Helen Flunder – Backing Vocals (4)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Independent
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 8th May 2026
LINKS
Brendan Perkins – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube
